Alleged dollar-store robber's alibi: He was in Ohio buying heroin

A man charged in connection with the robbery of a Fort Wayne dollar store has denied that he committed the crime, saying he was in Dayton, Ohio, that day to buy heroin, according to court filings.

Keith Allen Mason, 33, is charged with robbing the Dollar General, 6414 E. State Blvd., while armed with an air pistol Nov. 20. But Mason told a police detective that he was in Dayton that day buying heroin and was not the robber, according to papers filed in Allen Superior Court.

When shown photos of six different people Nov. 27, a Dollar General cashier picked Mason as the person who robbed the store while brandishing a handgun, the papers said.

Police tracked Mason to a Fort Wayne hotel and found a black Colt air pistol during a search of his room, according to the papers. Police said he was arrested without incident at the hotel.